For the Love of Photography

My buddy Alex recently gave me a Canon EOS 630, which is a film camera that was in production back between the years of 1989 through 1993. It was in great condition and since I'm able to use the lenses I own for my digital cameras on it, I was pretty excited to try it out.

One of the first things that stood out to me was the small size despite being a full frame camera. I'm so used to the heavier magnesium bodies of my 5D and 7D. There is also only a single auto focus point, which wasn't a problem to get used to. Manual mode is available on the camera however it's cumbersome to use so I found myself using aperture priority the whole time.

But the biggest difference compare to digital is that when shooting with film I found myself being a lot more careful with each photo. I'd make sure my composition was good, there were no distracting elements in the frame, my aperture was set correctly, etc. With digital there isn't any consequence of shooting as much as you want, with the exception of the time spent deleting the photos that suck. So at times there isn't as much care taken into each photo.

My evaluation of the film camera might seem funny to some who have had more experience with them in their life time, but I really had no interest in photography before about a year ago so the only film camera I ever used before were those disposable plastic ones and a cheap Olympus I used once on vacation. I don't think I will use the film camera much because I think there are a lot of limitations to it, but it was a nice tool to remind me to slow down and think more; instead of mindlessly shooting hoping something will be good.

Photos shown are untouched original scans of the developed matted prints which included the white outer border. Lens used was a Canon 50mm f/1.4. I don't remember what kind of film I used but it was expired, haha!

The Other Side of the Tracks

I recently moved a few weeks ago to be closer to work and get out of having a roommate. My old roommate Cassie was a great girl who I got along with just fine, but I enjoy my personal space just too much! I now live in Englewood and I absolutely love it here so far. I'm so centralized and everything is so close and convenient. I also am able to take the light rail train to work now which is really nice too.

One day on my way home riding the train out the window in the distance I spotted a neat group of buildings with really impressive graffiti work. Most of the stuff I see around town isn't that great but this was different. On one of my free days I made a visit to see it all up close and was very impressed. I later went to use the graffiti as a background to some of the photos I'd done for Dj Tommy Michael and just a few hours ago joined my brother in shooting our cars.

One of the reasons the graffiti here is so good is that the artists have permission to add there work here without fear of getting covered up or getting in trouble with the law. I think it is a great idea and I appreciate the talent involved. Photo was taken with my Canon 28mm f/1.8, which hasn't seen much action since the PI trip so I thought I'd show it some love. Along side my Canon 580EXII flash, I used a new Sunpak PZ42X flash I got a smoking deal on.

DJ Tommy Michael

Last Sunday I did my first promo shoot with local Colorado Dj Tommy Michael. Not only is Tommy a Dj but he is also the marketing coordinator for Beta Nightclub and was the one who allowed me to do my club shoots there. He enjoyed a lot of the photos I'd done there and requested a session with me and I immediately jumped on the opportunity.

Tommy is an awesome Dj and a great guy to work with. I was experimenting with a strobe I borrowed from my brother and he was very patient with me which I appreciated since I wanted to do my absolute best. I was also experimenting with a new lens I've added to my line up, the Canon 85mm f/1.8. This lens is amazing and is hands down my sharpest out of my three primes.

With every photo session I do, I learn more and more. This one was no exception considering it was the first time doing portraits at night. I think the knowledge I've gained will only help to build upon all of my experience so far to make me a better photographer.

Photo Session with Alyssa

I had the opportunity to photograph Alyssa this weekend, who was really great to work with. It was very casual and a lot of fun to try out different lighting set ups. I'm not yet the kind of photographer that knows all the great locations to shoot so we just walked around Downtown Denver and shot what ever we thought looked cool. The motorcycle in the photo is unfortunately not Alyssa's although she looks great with it, just one parked in an alley we happened to stumble upon.

Photo was taken with my new Canon 5D with 24-105 mm L lens and a 43" umbrella with a Canon 580EX II flash.